Kantus
Background The Kantus are Locust priests/monks who are the ruling caste just beneath the Queen herself. They are used to communicate around the Hollow by using their powerful screeches, and as medics on the field. They wield a Gorgon Burst Pistol and use Ink Grenades on occasion. They have special abilities that give them the power to revive downed Locust soldiers and they can also spawn Tickers on the battlefield. They also have a scream that they use to knock down enemies at close range. They wear a mixture of robes and combat armor, alongside a crown-like helmet for protection. Kantus' hands look as though they are bleeding but they're not. Kantus are usually found underground in the hollow and rarely seen on the surface of Sera. Very little is known about the Kantus. Although not making an appearance in the first game, they seem to be high ranking Locust who have a spiritual role in the Hollow. Their incredibly loud primal screams are used for long distance communications in the Hollow. Skorge Skorge is the High Priest of the Kantus. His personal equipment is the Ink Grenades, a Gorgon Pistol, and his personal staff with chainsaws on each end, like the regular Kantus monk he use his vocals cords to communicate with Rock Worms and even the Locust deity the Rift Worm. Which he lead it to destroy the cities of Tollen,Montevado and Ilima. He can also summon Tickers and can perform incredibly high jumps, displaying great agility. He also has a personal Hydra. AI Behavior In battle, the Kantus are a very tough foe, capable of surviving standard Headshots, a Boomshot, or even Torque Bow Arrows, provided you can actually land a direct hit on them. In addition to having the ability to revive downed allies at a distance, the Kantus are also extremely accurate at handling it's Ink Grenades, throwing them to at least three times the distance of a regular Gear or Locust soldier. At a far range, the Kantus' Gorgon Pistol is nearly useless as most of it's shots are "blind fired" from the hip. However, close combat with these monsters is usually an unwise decision given their extreme amount of tolerance to damage. In addition, the Gorgon is also fairly powerful at close range. The Kantus will rarely use it's melee attack, preferring to use it's vocal abilities to temporarily stun Gears. Combating a Kantus The most basic strategy is to simply pump the creature with lead until it falls (At a distance, of course). The Longshot, can deal a great amount of damage, but it may be very difficult to hit them, as they constantly strafe and roll in and out of cover to avoid fire. Should you get a headshot, a few well-placed Lancer bursts should take it down afterwards. Also if you're fast enough, and the Kantus is not well supported, you can finish them off before they can do any real damage with a grenade tag or the lancer chainsaw. Just be careful when using this tactic because if you get knocked to the floor by a Kantus screaming, it will render you completely defenseless and very vulnerable to other locust. While the blast will knock you down, it requires a few seconds to recharge. As the Kantus rarely use melee attacks, the chainsaw is an easy way to kill them, but only if their health is low. This is especially useful when low on ammo, as the Kantus have a considerable amount of health. Kantus can be very annoying if they have support from drones. Their ability to revive downed allies is something that should put them at the top of all priority lists when fighting Locust fire teams that are present. The Gorgon Pistol appears to be their main choice in weapons, as well as Ink/Poison grenades. Trivia *The Kantus are a playable character in multiplayer, however appearing significantly smaller than it's original height. *It has been discovered during Operation Hollow Storm that the Kantus create scrolls made of Human skin. One particular scroll, discovered by Baird, claims this as well as the fact that the Locust have a religion based on the Riftworm.